LG 50PZ950

Value Comparison

The Sony Bravia KDL-55HX820 is one of the strongest performing televisions in the year 2011. We are hard on just about every brand and every model, but this is one of the few we will wholeheartedly recommend. There is a bit of a difference in price here, this Sony will be a few hundred more than the LG 50PZ950, but we think it is worth the price.

The LG we have reviewed here has difficulties producing colors, and we cannot support it at this price point. The technology between the two sets is different, going back to the age old discussion of plasma vs. LCD. If you look at the test results between these two specific TVs, you will see that this Sony LCD is better than the LG plasma from the review.

Core Attributes Comparison
	LG 50PZ950	Sony Bravia KDL-55HX820
Size	50 in.	55 in.
General Type	Plasma	LED
Format	1080p	1080p

Blacks & Whites

Yeah, this Sony is a beast in blacks and whites. For an LCD screen, getting this dark is mark of quality. Then, being able to blast the brightest values at more than 300 cd/m² gives it a contrast ratio over 4000:1. Furthermore, if you look at the greyscale curve in the Sony Bravia KDL-55HX820 Full Review, you will see a smooth, evenly sloped line that shows us that practically every value in this range is used to describe beautiful pictures.

The LG has a great contrast ratio and a solidly deep black level, but it’s not quite competing with this Sony.

Color Accuracy

Color accuracy does not get much better than this Sony. The curves are so smooth they could be liquid. The color gamut is almost dead on accurate with the HDTV Rec. 709 standard. Our extremely elevated sensibilities were finally satisfied with this model.

We have discussed the color problems with the LG 50PZ950. For your hard earned money, your eyes and brain deserve better quality.

Color Temperature Comparison
LG 50PZ950 (Score: 8.97)
Sony Bravia KDL-55HX820 (Score: 9.96)

RGB Comparison
LG 50PZ950 (Score: 7.4)
Sony Bravia KDL-55HX820 (Score: 8.25)

Motion

The LG was a top performer in our motion tests, with only the slightest bit of fuzz from the motion in the plasma cells. The Sony was great also, but we noticed some jagged edges and shape distortion as the processor struggled to match the top of the picture with the bottom.

Motion Scores
	LG 50PZ950	Sony Bravia KDL-55HX820
Motion Score

Viewing Effects

This comparison is the best example of the difference in viewing angles between LCD and plasma screens. The LG is has one of the widest viewing angles we have seen. The Sony is fairly average for an LCD.

Viewing Angle Comparison
LG 50PZ950: 9.02	Sony Bravia KDL-55HX820: 3.61

Connectivity

The connections are about the same, the LG has more analog ports for older connections.

Connectivity Comparison
	LG 50PZ950	Samsung PN59D8000	Panasonic TC-P55VT30	Sony KDL-55HX820
HDMI	4	4	4	4
Component	2	2	1	1
Composite	2	2	1	1
S-Video	0	0	0	0
VGA	1	1	1	1
Analog Audio In	5	2	2	3
Digital Audio Out	1	1	1	1
Analog Audio Out	0	0	0	3
Ethernet	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Wi-Fi	Yes	Yes (Included)	Yes (Included)	Yes (Included)
USB	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Memory Card Types	None	None	SD/SDHC/SDXC	None
DLNA	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes